


ménage

by homeformyheart_jen



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Child Relationship, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28882425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homeformyheart_jen/pseuds/homeformyheart_jen
Summary: brooklyn finally lets out their resentment toward rebecca and quits out of anger, retreating to their apartment where mason comforts them.
Relationships: Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles), Nonbinary Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Kudos: 8





	ménage

**Author's Note:**

> author’s note: brooklyn was the last detective i created because i wanted to romance mason with a shy / oblivious detective that “wants something more” and found they have some deep resentment toward rebecca that i wanted to process/write. the ending was inspired by that sera ask. i hope you enjoy!  
> copyright: all characters, except my oc detective, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames.  
> series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – mason x nb!detective (brooklyn kingston)  
> rating/warnings: 14+; parent/child arguing  
> word count: 2.5k

**_ménage_ **

mason could feel brooklyn begin to bristle under his arm as they sat on the living room couch, waiting for the meeting with rebecca to wrap-up. trapper activity had spiked in wayhaven, and this time they were seeing an increase in kidnappings of supernaturals that brooklyn recognized. well, they recognized their human forms anyway. which meant that the trappers were closing in on people who may have more of a connection to them.

brooklyn had kept themself busy to avoid thinking about the bounty on their head but hearing about trappers targeting people they knew was difficult to ignore. thoughts of tina, verda, eric, and haley easily came to mind and left a pit in their stomach that they couldn’t quite identify. it was probably a combination of guilt and anxiety and at this point, they just wanted to go to sleep and avoid dwelling on it anymore. the team had completed their briefing but rebecca wanted to discuss something with adam and nate before calling it a night.

they sighed and leaned sub-consciously closer to mason, his thumb absent-mindedly drawing circles on their arm. it was something that brooklyn realized helped soothe their nerves. they weren’t used to any sort of physical affection; they actually recoiled from it if anything since they didn’t have much relationship experience in that department and certainly didn’t receive any from their parents. but something about mason made them feel safe and warm, and they struggled to pull away like they would’ve done if it were anyone else.

the murmured conversation between adam, nate, and rebecca was becoming harder to ignore. not that they were particularly loud, but because it was obvious that they were discussing _them_. logically, the discussion was probably focused on how to increase protection for both them and the town without bringing in reinforcements lest people get wind of something happening, but all brooklyn could focus on was the concerned looks nate kept throwing their way and the disapproving frowns apparent on adam’s face, even from his profile.

“can you please stop talking about me like i’m not even here? or even better yet, stop talking about me like i’m a child and making decisions for me,” brooklyn snapped suddenly, irritation clearly lacing their tone.

mason’s arm around their shoulder tightened slightly, almost startling them out of their annoyance. they glanced at him, prepared to shrug his shoulder off in retaliation, when they noticed he was only looking at them with genuine concern. they leaned further back into his embrace but the tension never left their body.

rebecca blinked at them in surprise before putting her professional mask back in place. “please give us some privacy,” she said, glancing quickly at the team who nodded in return and left the room.

brooklyn took note of the fact that mason was the last to leave and not before he gave them a long, concerned look.

“you know they can hear everything we say anyway, right? sending them away doesn’t mean this conversation is private. how many conversations have we had with your team listening in?” they muttered, standing up so that they could be closer to eye level with rebecca.

“it doesn’t matter. what matters to me is your safety, brooklyn. you are always my priority,” rebecca said firmly, with such conviction that someone without a lifetime of experiencing less than that would be easily convinced.

brooklyn scoffed, eliciting a raised eyebrow from rebecca. “you have an odd way of showing what’s a priority to you. i could fill ten notebooks with all the times your job took priority over me.”

rebecca started twisting her hands together. “i made sure you didn’t want for anything. i gave you everything you needed to live comfortably, and i knew that i could trust your safety in the hands of the supernatural nannies.”

their jaw dropped. “oh my god – are you serious? so you surrounded me with supernaturals and yet lied to my face about what kept you away,” they said with a humorless laugh, shaking their head. they were getting close to their limit. “let’s be honest, you didn’t want to be a mother.”

they could see the energy drain from rebecca’s face and she swayed on the spot. “how—how could you think that? no matter our differences, you are my child and i love you.”

“what am i supposed to think? you weren’t around no matter what i did! i was the _perfect_ child. i never got into trouble, i studied hard and got into a good school, i didn’t date, and i never stayed out past curfew. it still wasn’t enough for you,” brooklyn said, her voice starting to rise in volume.

“everything i did was to protect you and make sure you could have a normal life – and you did,” rebecca’s voice was starting to grate on brooklyn’s nerves.

an unfamiliar tightness in their chest made brooklyn pause to take a breath. “i didn’t do anything that would cause you to worry, and you think you can take credit for that? you think it’s because you were a good mother?”

years of repressed resentment bubbled up to the surface all at once. brooklyn had almost forgotten how deeply they had buried it all. it was easy to forget that a dormant volcano could still erupt if the telltale signs were ignored. balancing two jobs and handling all the supernatural missions and happenings took up so much brain space that they had been too exhausted to notice the building resentment.

it started with harmless annoyances, like rebecca’s comments about how the team could ensure their safety on a mission and the occasional question about whether they still wanted to be part of this world. it became harder to ignore when rebecca would pull adam aside to talk privately after almost every meeting and the way in which they both glanced at them made it obvious that they were the topic of discussion.

brooklyn couldn’t help the well of tears building in their throat. “you think it justifies that you were never around? i had already lost and never got to know my father. what i _needed_ was my mother.”

* * * * *  
mason leaned with one foot against the wall of the hallway beyond the living room, arms folded across his chest and a small, almost indiscernible frown on his face.

normally the team would disperse when rebecca asked for privacy, however, adam was the only team member that promptly left the area. felix and nate were clearly hoping for a peaceful resolution to whatever was going on between agent kingston and brooklyn, if the concerned looks on their faces and pacing were any indication.

“i really hope they can talk things through calmly,” nate said, his brows furrowed so deeply that his face seemed to scrunch in half.

felix played with the frayed edges of his scarf anxiously and stayed silent, an unusual move for the typically chatty vampire, but mason knew he was a bit more sensitive to familial relationships and he had come to think of rebecca and brooklyn as part of their unit bravo family.

they could all hear the vibrations of the discussion in the other room, their heads snapping up once it escalated, the shouts passing through the walls as if they weren’t there.

* * * * *  
“you didn’t want a child – i _know_ i was an accident,” brooklyn continued, “so don’t try to tell me you care about me. you can’t even look at me because i remind you of dad!”

“you are my child! i cannot lose you like i lost your father! i refuse to,” rebecca came the closest to screaming as one might expect from her.

that was the tipping point. once an eruption starts, it can’t be stopped, and brooklyn was ready to blow.

“it’s not up to you!” they screamed back, chest heaving and fists clenched. rebecca took a step back, shoulders sagging with a general weariness that seemed to sink her entire body.

but brooklyn was angry and _wanted_ to be angry, glaring pointedly at rebecca without making direct eye contact. they didn’t want to feel guilt for hurting rebecca. they really didn’t want to sympathize or come to an understanding of her motivations. they wanted to hurt her as much as she had hurt them over the years.

they gritted their teeth and threw their hands up in the air. “you don’t want me to be part of this world that badly? you don’t want me to be part of such an important part of your life, then fine, i quit!”

they spun on their heel with the intent to storm out of the room before their mother’s pleading voice made them freeze.

“brookie, please—” rebecca’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

brooklyn turned back around so fast even they were surprised they didn’t fall over. “no! you do not get to call me by dad’s nickname for me. i don’t want anything to do with you anymore!”

and then they finally did storm out before they could see rebecca’s body crumple to the floor in grief.

they threw open the door and nearly ran headfirst into nate who had been hovering by the doorway.

“brooklyn, she loves you and is worried about you, as we all are—” nate said gently, brow furrowed in concern.

they didn’t register that both felix and mason had stepped closer to nate, with felix laying a hand gently on nate’s arm to pull him back, eyes conveying a silent message that now was not the time to intervene. mason had stepped slightly in front, perhaps subtly trying to draw brooklyn’s attention unsuccessfully to him instead. but all brooklyn could singularly focus on was nate, who despite his good intentions, picked the wrong time to try to smooth things over.

their fury exploded. “i should’ve known that you’d take her side! i know you all would pick her over me. just like she always picked her job over me. well you can have her, i don’t want anything to do with any of you anymore!”

they clenched their fists and walked as fast as they could in their heels out of the warehouse to their car, seething and hoping that the team would leave them alone. they slammed the door and gripped the steering wheel tightly, peeling out of the lot and letting their adrenaline and anger keep the tears at bay until they were safely home.

as soon as they walked into their apartment, the fight left their body and they collapsed on the couch. brooklyn immediately started crying, putting pressure on their eyes with their palms to try to force the tears to stop. they were not someone who wallowed in their emotions. they needed to be composed if they were going to move forward and move out of wayhaven. they reached for their laptop and pulled up some of the job search websites they always had bookmarked.

* * * * *  
_back at the warehouse_

even though rebecca had returned to the facility, her professional demeanor securely in place by the time she walked past them, the team stood around the living room as though awaiting instructions. nate looked as close to being on the verge of tears that mason could recall.

felix was struggling the most, moving from the couch to the armchair to the window, barely settling in one spot with both feet planted before he was moving to the next.

he finally broke the silence. “do you think brooks meant it? quitting the team?” what he really wanted to say was _us_. were they leaving _them_.

“i don’t know, but i really hope not,” nate said quietly.

mason just shook his head and walked toward the door.

“where are you going?” felix asked, sounding a little… afraid.

“to check on brooklyn,” he said without hesitation. mason’s shoulders tensed for a second before he made eye contact with them both, a seriousness in his gaze that made their eyes widen. “don’t wait up.”

* * * * *  
_at the detective’s apartment_

a knock on the door made brooklyn’s shoulders tense and head throb even more than it did already.

“if you’re here to lecture me about family or being nice to my mom, you can leave right now,” they yelled through the closed door.

“you know i wouldn’t do that, sweetheart. let me in.”

brooklyn sighed and unlocked the door, not bothering to open it as they walked toward their bedroom. they heard the door open and close but didn’t turn around.

“if you’re here to convince me to stay with the agency or the team, you can keep it to yourself,” they called out, falling backward on the bed and applying pressure to their eyes again.

mason didn’t respond as he walked over to their room, sinking down in the space next to them and leaning over until his body cast a shadow over theirs and his hair barely brushed their hands.

“i won’t ever try to make you do anything you don’t want to,” he said quietly, gently pulling their hands away from their face.

their eyes were red and already starting to puff up but any thoughts of how disheveled they were flew away as mason’s grey eyes bore into theirs. they swirled with something, not the uncertainty and confusion of deeper feelings between them that they had gotten used to earlier in their relationship, but of something else. something that brooklyn had craved all their life.

“i was serious, you know. my resume’s been polished and i’ve bookmarked several open positions in the city,” they said, reaching up to stroke his cheek with their thumb if only to avoid eye contact for a little while longer.

mason smirked and leaned down until his nose barely touched theirs. brooklyn knew he could hear their heart start pounding louder and held their breath as he softly touched his lips to theirs.

“okay. but make sure the next apartment has proper heating. i am so sick of being cold,” he grumbled, pulling back so he could carry them in his arms and position them more comfortably under the comforter. he tucked his arm under their shoulders and pulled them close.

they glanced up at him, eyes wide with surprise. “really?” they blurted out, dazed. would he really leave unit bravo behind? the agency?

“i told you once before sweetheart, i go where you go,” he said as though it was an established fact.

their gaze dropped and mason heard the stutter in their throat as they whispered, “that was when adam gave you orders to.”

“hey. i’m saying it now,” he tilted their chin up with his other hand so that they were looking directly at him. “i go where you go.”

brooklyn looked up at him as he pulled the comforter up to their shoulders, all the tension and emotions from earlier leaving their body heavy in his arms. “thank you,” she whispered, eyes half closed with sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any comments you may have - to find this on tumblr, feel free to check out my writing/art reblogs @homeformyheart.


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